Haman and Mordecai

Haman and Mordecai as Two Aspects of Christ's Work: Laying Down His Life and Resurrection

In this view, both Haman and Mordecai can be seen as Christ, but in two distinct moments of His work—the moment of self-sacrifice and the moment of triumph. The pivotal distinction is that Christ, like Haman, actively laid down His life through His love, and Mordecai's exaltation symbolizes Christ’s resurrection and glorification. This means we are not looking for a depiction of others causing Christ’s death, but instead seeing how Christ’s willing sacrifice and active preparation are symbolized in Haman, and how His victory is foreshadowed in Mordecai.

Haman as Christ's Active Sacrifice

• Haman's Preparation of the Gallows: Haman, who prepares the gallows for Mordecai, symbolizes Christ's active role in preparing His own death. In this typology, Christ Himself prepared the cross, just as Haman prepared the gallows. The cross was not something imposed upon Christ by others, but it was prepared by Him through His love, a willing decision to sacrifice Himself. Christ drove the nails with His love, echoing the idea that He chose the cross and laid down His life for the sake of the world (John 10:17-18).
• The Gallows as a Type of the Cross: The gallows are meant for Mordecai but become the instrument of Haman’s destruction. This foreshadows the cross, which was meant to condemn Jesus, but became the means of His sacrifice for the salvation of others. Just as Haman’s death on the gallows was a reversal of his intentions, Christ’s death on the cross, which was meant to silence Him, became the means of His ultimate triumph over death. Christ was not defeated by the cross but willingly embraced it (Matthew 26:39).
• Christ’s Love Drives the Sacrifice: The essential difference in this typology is that, unlike others who prepared the cross for Jesus, Christ, like Haman, prepared the cross Himself. He laid down His life, driven by love for humanity. Haman’s death on the gallows can be seen as a symbolic act of Christ’s own love-driven sacrifice. This image focuses on the self-giving nature of Christ's sacrifice, as Haman is the one who actively prepares the means of his own death, paralleling Christ’s willingness to go to the cross.

Mordecai as Christ’s Resurrection and Exaltation

• Mordecai’s Survival and Rise to Glory: After Mordecai is threatened with death, he does not die but instead is exalted to a position of honor. This mirrors Christ's resurrection and glorification. Christ’s death was followed by His resurrection—and just as Mordecai was preserved from death, Christ rose from the dead, defeating the power of death.
• Mordecai’s Ascendancy in Power: Mordecai’s ascent to a position of honor and power (Esther 8:15) is a clear typological picture of Christ's victory and ascension after His resurrection. Mordecai’s exaltation represents Christ’s exaltation to the right hand of God after His work on the cross. This is the triumph after the sacrifice—just as Christ was raised and seated at the right hand of God, receiving all authority (Matthew 28:18).
• Mordecai as the Type of the Resurrection: The core of Mordecai's story is survival and victory over death, a picture of Christ's resurrection, where death could not hold Him. Christ was not overcome by death—rather, His victory over it signifies His resurrection, and Mordecai’s victory after the threat of death mirrors that triumph.

Rewriting the Typology: Christ Laying Down His Life and Victory

• Haman represents Christ’s active choice to lay down His life, prepared by Christ Himself—not a victim of others but actively participating in His own sacrifice out of love. This represents Christ’s decision to prepare His own cross, with His love driving His sacrifice, much like Haman preparing the gallows.
• Mordecai represents Christ's triumph after the cross—His resurrection and glorification. Mordecai’s rise after being threatened with death mirrors Christ’s resurrection and exaltation, where Christ is given the authority after His sacrifice and sits at the right hand of God.

Summary of the Typology

• Haman = Christ’s Active Sacrifice: Haman represents Christ preparing His own death, choosing to lay down His life. The gallows, which were meant for Mordecai, are symbolic of the cross, where Christ willingly gave Himself to death as the means of salvation. Haman’s own destruction on the gallows speaks to the ultimate victory of Christ through His death.
• Mordecai = Christ’s Resurrection and Exaltation: Mordecai’s rise to power represents Christ’s victory over death and His exaltation after His sacrifice. Just as Mordecai was elevated, Christ ascended to glory after His resurrection and was seated at the right hand of God.

Conclusion

In this interpretation, Haman and Mordecai together represent Christ: Haman foreshadows Christ’s self-sacrifice and active decision to lay down His life, and Mordecai foreshadows Christ’s resurrection and ascension. These two figures, working together, give us a comprehensive picture of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ultimate victory. The focus is on Christ’s love-driven, voluntary sacrifice (symbolized by Haman’s preparation of the gallows) and His triumph and glorification after death (symbolized by Mordecai’s rise to honor).